Tyrique Stevenson NFL Draft Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 198 pounds
School: Miami
2023 NFL Draft: Tyrique Stevenson Scouting Report
Tyrique Stevenson hails from Miami, Florida where he was born and raised. Coming out of high school in 2019, Stevenson was a four-star recruit and the number three ranked corner. He initially enrolled at Georgia and played for two years in Kirby Smart’s program. After some frustrations with his role and production, Stevenson entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season. All roads led back home to Miami, where he played his final two years for the Hurricanes.
The sizeable corner began to emerge quickly in a system he was more comfortable with. Stevenson earned an honorable mention All-ACC selection as a junior after tallying 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, half a sack, and four pass defenses. He followed that up in 2022 with a third-team All-ACC selection after racking up 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and seven pass defenses. After an ascendant final two years, Tyrique Stevenson has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Strengths:
- Pro-level measurables and speed
- Plays very physical game without getting flags
- Good recovery speed and closing ability
- A willing tackler looking to inflict punishment
- Punt return experience
Weaknesses:
- Slow to flip hips and stay with receivers
- Needs better awareness, especially in zone coverage
- Aggressiveness gets him into trouble against both the run and pass
- Over pursuit leading to missed tackles
NFL Comparison: Chidobe Awuzie
Teams With a Need: Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Projection: Late Second Round
Bottom Line on Tyrique Stevenson
With Stevenson, the name of the game is physicality. At six-foot and almost 200 pounds, he has the ideal frame and length of a physical outside corner. He is always looking for the opportunity to jam at the line or dislodge the ball from the receiver’s hands. In coverage, Stevenson will use his physical tendencies to muscle himself between the receiver and the ball. He is particularly effective with this on quick in-breaking routes and slants. He also showcases a keen awareness of not getting flagged while being handsy with receivers. Stevenson doesn’t have world-class speed but shows the ability to recover when separation is given up at the onset. Since transferring to Miami, the 22-year-old corner appears to be on an upward trajectory as his tape noticeably improved each year. This should give the team hope that he has plenty of room to develop further.
While one of Stevenson’s trademarks is being physical, his tackling needs work. He can push receivers around and scare quarterbacks on a rush, but he does not take on bigger players (RBs, TEs) easily. He tends to throw his body around instead of wrapping up and will often pinball around in run defense. The separation Stevenson gives up on deeper routes is often because he is slow to flip his hips. He can usually recover, but speedier wide receivers will take advantage of this at the pro level. His tape is full of would-be interceptions which points to a lack of ball skills on deeper routes. As his lack of career interceptions (3) would indicate, he is much better at ball defense than taking it away.
Stevenson might be scheme-dependent to begin his career—he currently plays best as a press-man corner and needs to develop his zone capabilities further. That being said, he seems to be undervalued in this year’s draft. With how talent-heavy the corner class is in 2023, Stevenson could end up being a steal for any team. He definitely has room to develop, but his talent in film is much higher than where he is often projected. The size, physicality, and range he brings should allow him to rapidly develop into a quality NFL starter.
Main Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
